This blog post was originally featured on an old blog I managed called Back to Being Gentlemen. That site is now defunct, but on a quick read, I found the content worthy of republication here with minimal edits.
Hemingway is a bit of an acquired taste, but his influence on modern literature is unquestionable. His use of theme has withstood the test of time. Enjoy.
Recently I finished reading A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway. It’s a classic novel that recounts the story of an American man who volunteers to enlist in the Italian ranks during WWI. There, he meets a British nurse and falls in love, leading him through conflicting avenues between life and death, duty and freedom.
For those of you who have not read Hemingway, reading this book is a great introduction to his literary style. His punchy dialogue and staccato sentence structure, at times curiously stoic, represent aspects of his signature voice that are already well developed. On a cursory glance, it might seem that Hemingway’s style downplays the work’s dramatic events and cuts out emotional ties. For me, it had the opposite effect.
I read a review of A Farewell to Arms in an edition of the New York Times from 1929 which contrasted Hemingway’s new and modern writing style with the authors of the Victorian Era. Victorian authors, of course, were notorious for flowery prose and indulgent imagery. At times it feels like to enjoy a Victorian author you must enjoy the English language as well as you do a good plot or character. It was an interesting comparison, and it made me reflect on current trends in the entertainment industry.
Compared to Hemingway, is there a characteristic style of our day? How will they categorize our books, films, and movies in the future?
Now, we have a hot and cold relationship with emotional vulnerability. We’ve developed satirical, sarcastic, and irreverent ways of speaking to avoid being vulnerable. Professionalism and perceived reputation stunt emotional communication. We just don’t know how to behave when someone is emotional.
For example, once upon a time, after terrorists hijacked planes and ran them into the Twin Towers on September 11th, Jon Stewart and the Daily Show took a long hiatus. You can imagine the hesitance: what is a satirical news agency to do when there’s nothing to laugh at in the news–when laughing itself cuts against the very values the crew stands for? When Stewart came back on the air, he opened their first return episode candidly, without satire. In his opening monologue, he choked up and fought back tears. He was sincere, vulnerable, and genuine.
Later, in some circles, he was criticized for crying on camera. This man, arguably (and ironically) one of the most influential political identities for an entire generation of young adults, showed his uncontrollable sorrow for one of America’s most impactful tragedies only to be met with ridicule and derision.
On the other hand, despite the harsh, ruthless social media environment (or perhaps because of it) it appears that being genuine has never been valued more highly. An abundance of fake accounts, fake lifestyles, fake this, and fake that, have paved the way for amazing vulnerability to overwhelming support.
Although Hemingway wrote in the rapid and blocky literary style that helped to shape modern literature, I didn’t find that his style detracted from the emotional power of his text. Instead of downplaying the poignant plot elements in his novel, he forced himself to “show instead of tell.” Rather than elaborate with wordy descriptions, he let actions, plot elements, and character motives speak for themselves. His protagonist’s numb response to the traumatic experiences he encountered in the war brings to mind hopeless and lost feelings that I’ve experienced in my own life in the face of crushing adversity.
Can numbness be genuine? Can an author hope to do more for a reader than to stir their innermost recollections without openly asking them to do so?
Hemingway also touches on some provocative themes that gained new meaning during his time period. Perhaps the book’s main theme is a discussion on the contradictory roles of war and love in each of our lives. The pendulum swings between wanting to die for something and wanting to live for something. He discusses episodes of heroism from a soldier’s point of view and contrasts them with heroism from a lover’s point of view. In both cases, he illustrates great sacrifices and sometimes, nonsensical commands, be they instructions from commanding officers or the dictates of the human heart.
The resounding sentiment is very clear. Love is war, and the stakes are just as high.
